Five times Arthur punished Merlin
by Eliza-Lou-Riley
Summary: Five times Arthur punished Merlin. And the one time he could not bring himself to do it. Warning: Contains corporal punishment. One-sided Merdred and implied Merthur.
1. First time

Five times Arthur punished Merlin. And the one time he could not bring himself to do it.

* * *

**1.** The first time was for eavesdropping.

Merlin had always been curious of what conversations went on behind the doors of the great hall. The king would gather in there with all his knights and discuss important issues in Camelot – issues no one even knew about. Every so often the serving boy would ache to hear what they were talking about, just to tame his sheer curiosity. But Arthur had told him about eavesdropping. It wasn't something the king liked. If he were caught, he'd be sure to get an ear bending for his insolence.

But then again, when did Merlin ever listen to Arthur?

"What are you doing?"

Merlin almost leaped out of his skin, quickly getting up off the floor to turn and face the waiting prince who was standing there with his arms folded.

"Well?"

The heat creeped up to Merlin's face, lighting both cheeks with a tender pink colour, "…looking for woodworm?"

"Merlin, you were eavesdropping, weren't you?"

He didn't need to reply. He knew there was no snaking his way out of this one. He expected Arthur to shake his head at him and call him an idiot as he usually did. That's why he was surprised when he felt a hand clamp around his arm and drag him roughly behind one of the doorways where he was sure they were out of sight from anyone.

"Arthur?" Merlin felt his heart hammering against his chest, "W-what are you doing?"

Arthur didn't reply and the serving boy gasped as he was suddenly pulled under the prince's arm and felt four or five smacks administered to his bottom. They were light and definitely wouldn't leave a mark, but the child-like punishment left a wrench in his stomach and his cheeks blazed with fiery embarrassment.

"Do not eavesdrop again." Arthur said like a scolding father, "There are important issues my father has to discuss with his council. The last thing he needs is you listening in and then running around telling everyone in the castle."

Merlin bit his tongue in an effort not to point out that he was an idiot, not a tattle tale. Instead, he replied with pure shame, "Yes sire."

"Good." Arthur gave his rear a pat and allowed him to slide out from beneath him, "Now, if you've got nothing better to do you can go and muck out my horses and then go and fix my armour for training today. Just make sure you don't drop it all like you did last time."

Even Arthur's dry humour wasn't enough to take the stinging humiliation away from Merlin's heart. Arthur had never laid a hand on him before. He'd knew that servants were physically punished in Camelot – that's just the way things were. But Arthur…he just didn't seem like that kind of person.

Bowing his head, he shuffled off, hoping Arthur couldn't see the pain in his expression.


	2. Second time

** 2.** The second time was while they were hunting.

Being the naïve fellow he was, Merlin failed to realise that the woods was inhabited by many species of animal, including some very dangerous ones. They had been tracing down the same wild doe for what must have been half the morning when Merlin had got distracted and accidentally blew their cover while they were lying in wait. The noise had startled the doe and she'd fled into the woods before any of the knights could even get a shot at her.

"Merlin!" Arthur had thundered, "Can't you do _anything_ right?"

Sick of the prince's bitter attitude, Merlin had dumped the hunting gear onto the floor and stormed off on his own, ignoring Arthur's calls. He knew it was foolish of him to wander off alone but he needed to call off. He'd already made a scene of himself and he didn't want to alienate himself further, or worse, land himself in the cells by punching the prince's lights out.

He found himself in the forest clearing and after taking a few deep breaths, realised he wasn't angry anymore and decided it'd be best to return to the hunting party before Arthur lost his temper further. He was just about to turn and start walking back when he heard a low growling coming from the bushes and a she-bear lifted her head from the shrubbery and bellowed at him. Forgetting everything he'd been taught about escaping from bears, the warlock had turned and fled, though due to his clumsy nature it wasn't long before his leg struck a root and he hit the floor painfully.

He observed the spreading gash on his elbow and tried to ignore the agony. He had far more important things to worry about. The she-bear was on her hind legs, ready to throw all her weight down on his chest. In his last moments of life, Merlin decided he wanted to die with dignity and curled up into a ball to make it less painful. A deafening roar almost made his ears bleed and suddenly the world turned dark and he felt all the breath leave his body as he prepared himself for his waiting death.

Then suddenly someone was grabbing him and pulling him back up to the light. Arthur dragged him out from underneath the bear's corpse and the warlock had seconds to acknowledge the arrow launched in her throat before the hold tightened and he was pulled over to a nearby tree stump by the scruff of the neck, whereupon Arthur sat down and all of a sudden, the serving-boy was staring down at the forest floor below. He yelped as a solid, heavy smack landed on his backside and continued without mercy, as Arthur delivered the punishment he felt Merlin deserved in this situation.

"You _idiot_!" He snapped, bringing his hand down so he struck a particularly tender part of Merlin's bottom, "You could have been_ killed_! Do you realise how much _danger_ you put yourself in? What if I hadn't gotten here in time? What would have happened Merlin? You'd have _died_, that's what would have happened!" He tugged the boy's breeches down and began spanking on the white underwear that lay underneath, "If you ever pull a stunt like that again, I'll make sure you can't sit down for a week!"

Merlin sobbed and squirmed throughout his punishment, hands clawing Arthur's thigh whilst he whimpered, "Yes sire…I'm sorry sire…please forgive me sire…"

By the time Arthur had finished, he was red and breathless and he took a moment to flex his sore hand and regain his composure before he examined the damage he'd done to Merlin's rear. A salmon pink colour was peeking out from underneath the white material and spreading down to his thigh, outlined by an obvious hand print which stood out on the pale skin.

"What am I going to do with you Merlin?" he asked, gently rubbing the sore patch.

Merlin could only snivel in reply.

"You have to understand…you can't go running off in the forest by yourself unarmed. You could get hurt, or worse – killed. And if you ever got hurt Merlin…well…I'd feel fully responsible."

He put his hands under Merlin's arms and moved him so he was kneeling in front of him, so he could look directly into his eyes, "You're not just my manservant Merlin, you're my friend. And besides, who'd be there to make my bed and polish my armour if you were ripped apart by a bear?"

Merlin managed a strained laugh, wiping the wetness away from his eyes. Arthur reached over and gently brushed the remaining tears away before gently patting the serving-boy's knee.

"Good man. Now come on, that's enough hunting for today. I can't wait to see the look on my father's face when we arrive back in Camelot hoarding a bear!"


	3. Third time

**3.** The third time was the most harsh.

The king had invited Lord Rodor of Nemeth and his daughter Mithian to dine with he and Arthur, as he was keen for the young prince and princess to become betrothed. This was the first time Merlin had been present whilst the royal family ate and naturally, he was nervous. For most of the evening his only job was to stand in the corner, and occasionally wander over to the table to pour the fair princess a glass of water. The king would rattle on to Arthur about the idea of marriage, forever hinting at Mithian who sat shyly on the opposite side of the table. Arthur would always shrug off each comment, staring down at his plate, though Merlin guessed he had lost his appetite a long time ago. There was one particular comment that quite unsettled the serving boy – whether Mithian was fertile or not. He became so unsettled his arm accidentally collided with a glass, sending it to the ground and spraying water all over Mithian's front. It shattered everywhere, stunning everyone to silence.

"You _stupid_ child!" Uther suddenly thundered, turning to Arthur with full blown force as the princess delicately wiped the water droplets off her dress with a handkerchief, "Punish him!"

Merlin's eyed widened and he turned to see the prince had already drawn back his chair, looking up at him a little sympathetically but managing to mask most of it with his royal composure. He took the servant roughly by the wrist and placed him over his knee, tugging down his breeches and underwear so his backside was exposed to the cold evening air.

"Come now, that's not necessary." Mithian said, looking down at Merlin who was whimpering like a dog, "The poor darling didn't mean it."

Merlin's face flushed red; grateful that the table hid him from the astonished eyes of the princess as Arthur aimed the first smack to his bottom. It left a harsh sting and he winced again as another one landed on his thigh, sending a wave of pain throughout his right leg. The strength of Arthur's hand was understandable; years of sword wielding had given his palm a rough, solid texture, suitable for dishing out punishment. He continued spanking Merlin for another ten minutes or so whilst another servant scurried in and began clearing up the mess on the floor.

"That'll teach you not to be careless." Uther hissed under his teeth, "Keep still!"

Keeping still was impossible at this point. Merlin couldn't help but squirm about on Arthur's lap as the prince's knee was digging painfully into his gut, making him feel sick. He yelped and squeaked at every spank administered, feeling the flesh on his backside heat up nicely.

"Ow, sire! I'm sorry, sire! It'll never happen again sire, please forgive me!"

His pleas were ignored and Uther seated himself back down again, reaching for his goblet.

"Don't have mercy on the boy, Arthur." He put the goblet to his lips, "He has to learn the hard way."

Arthur felt a lump grow in his throat but replied respectively, "Absolutely Father."

In the end, Merlin put his head down and wept as Arthur's coarse hand thrashed against his awaiting rear, sending it a vast shade of red.

When bruising began to appear along the boy's legs, sick of trying to distract herself, Mithian flung down her spoon and called to the king, "I really must insist you let him go sire! I am assured the boy has learnt his lesson! That is _quite_ enough!"

Arthur didn't stop until Uther raised his hand, motioning for the punishment to come to an end. He landed a final smack on Merlin's slightly bruised backside and then started pulling his breeches up, gently rubbing at the sore skin whilst Merlin hid his face in the prince's thigh and sobbed like a child.

"Get up." Uther snapped and when the manservant had obeyed, he spoke as if he were nothing but a dog, "You're lucky I don't sack you on the spot. You're to go to the prince's chambers and prepare his bed. Now get out of my sight!"

Merlin turned and walked hurriedly out, not stopping until he'd reached Arthur's chambers, whereupon he threw himself on the prince's bed and took to wailing into one of the pillows until he was able to pull himself together and get to fulfilling his task of sorting out the prince's bedsheets as he'd been instructed. As soon as Arthur entered, he left with his head down so he didn't have to look into those guilt filled eyes.


	4. Fourth time

**4.** The fourth time was simply a light reminder.

Arthur was getting ready for a day's training while Merlin was polishing his armour for him. The serving-boy had found a particularly stubborn mark of dirt that refused to be cleaned on Arthur's shield and in his frustration, accidentally elbowed a pot off the table, causing it to shatter all over the floor. Arthur jumped at the noise and turned to see Merlin peering up at him sheepishly, hugging the shield to his chest.

It was only a pot. Arthur knew that. But that wasn't the point. He'd warned Merlin about being careless before and the serving-boy still hadn't caught on. Servants who made mistakes were punished. That's just how it was. It wasn't fair, but it wasn't up to him to break with tradition.

"Merlin, get over here."

The serving-boy eyed him timidly, pressing the shield harder to his chest as if hoping it'd protect him.

"_Merlin_."

He watched as Merlin set the shield down with great hesitation and slowly trailed his way over, eyes staring at the floor. The prince pulled a chair out from the table and placed it in the middle of the room, taking out a hairbrush for one of the drawers. He then sat down and patted his knee.

"Come on, bend over."

He felt the slight twinge of guilt as the serving-boy placed himself over his lap, trembling slightly as Arthur put an arm around his waist to stop him from kicking. He tried to ignore the fear he could feel wracking through Merlin's body and began spanking the serving-boy gently, making sure he got through to the servant without causing him too much damage.

"And Merlin, do try to keep still."

_Smack_

"Ow!"

_Smack_

"_Ow_!"

_Smack_

"Ow!"

He landed a few heavy swats to finish off the punishment and then allowed Merlin to slide off his lap whilst he set the hairbrush back on the table.

"Carelessness is unacceptable, Merlin." The prince said firmly, gently patting the boy's head as Merlin pressed his wet cheeks onto his lap, "You have to be more careful."

"It was an _accident_…" Merlin mumbled.

"I know it was Merlin. But my father always had me punish my servants for making mistakes. Accidents are no exception."

Merlin dug his chin into Arthur's leg sulkily, whilst the prince continued to rub his back.


	5. Fifth time

**5.** The fifth time, Merlin asked for it. Literally.

It'd been a while since Arthur had punished him physically. He wondered if it had something to do with Uther's death. The king had always believed strongly in corporal punishment and had brought Arthur up to think so too. Yet now, with the king dead, Arthur had not laid a hand on any servant. Yet.

It was all because of Mordred.

Merlin didn't trust the druid, not after what he'd done. He'd been on the dark side, walked with Morgana, and now everyone welcomed him into Camelot with open arms? They were either saints or fools. He was certain it was the latter.

What was worse was the telepathic communication never wore thin. Mordred constantly spoke, constantly begged him.

_I'm waiting Emrys._

Merlin growled, wishing he could clamp his hands to his ears. This action was impossible, seeing as he was carrying Arthur's laundry to his room. He entered and began sorting the clothes out into piles, trying to ignore the presence he could feel growing behind him.

_Turn around Emrys. _

He refused to answer to the voice. He went back to his work, trying to keep his mind on his job rather than the irritating lone figure of the druid boy behind him. His body jerked and went stiff, when he felt a pair of warm lips press against his neck and slowly begin moving down, pulling his collar back to reach his shoulder.

_I love you Emrys._

Merlin pulled away, closing his eyes, "Don't say that."

_I love you._

"Be _quiet_."

_I love you, I love you, I love you._

Merlin turned around and without thinking, slapped the young knight across the face. His body was more delicate than the warlock had anticipated and he fell to the floor, where he lay there for a minute inhaling sharply. Tinged with guilt and definite regret, Merlin went and carefully lifted the boy from under the arms, helping him to his feet.

"I'm sorry…" he mumbled, "I never meant to hurt you. I was angry and-"

He trailed off as Mordred reached up and gently stroked his cheek, gazing at him with a sea of adoration in his eyes.

_Kiss me._

It was madness. He was mad for doing it. But he couldn't help it. Mordred put both hands on his cheeks and gently leaned forwards, pressing their lips together. He felt hands crawl up his neck and tangle in his hair and deciding he couldn't resist the innocent charms of the druid any longer; he sighed and deepened the kiss, winding his arms around the boy's waist.

"Merlin!"

His eyes opened and he sprang away from Mordred so the druid sank to the floor again and stared into the flaming eyes of Arthur Pendragon who stood at the doorway, eyes almost red with rage.

"Arthur, I can-!"

Arthur went and grabbed Mordred by the scruff of the neck, pulling out a chair from under the table and sitting down on it.

"No Arthur, don't!"

He pulled the druid boy over his knee and began pulling down his breeches, exposing the pale skin beneath. He tore off his belt and began wrapping it around his arm.

"Arthur, stop, he's only a child!"

Arthur lifted the belt and began the whipping, whilst Mordred lay mute over his lap, eyes never flickering or showing any tears. It was his mind that bore the pain and torture and Merlin could barely stand the pleading voice in his head.

_Emrys. Emrys help me._

Merlin put his hands over his ears, eyes streaming fresh water.

_Emrys, please, it hurts._

There were pink strips appearing along Mordred's rear and all down his legs. Arthur was skilled with a belt.

"Arthur, stop it!"

The king paused, hand stopped in mid air. He turned his head and glared at the serving-boy, who was currently sobbing in the background.

"Punish me. Not him."

They stared at each other for a while, as if suddenly the telepathic communication worked between _them_. And then Arthur tugged Mordred's breeches back up and told him to get out. Merlin avoided the eyes of the druid and waited until he'd gone before pulling down his own breeches and slowly lowering himself over the prince's waiting lap.

He expected it to hurt as much as it did. He balled his fist and sank his teeth into it but even that could not silence his internal screaming. He felt Arthur's arm clamp around his waist to keep him still but squirming, by Gods, it was impossible not to. He fought to keep his muscles tense but found they flailed everywhere and his leg kicked out unexpectedly, causing his shoe to fly across the room. He waited for Arthur to increase the punishment but found this action slowed him down and after about a minute, the belt was set aside and Merlin felt eleven swats from Arthur's hand delivered to his backside before the punishment finally came to an end.

He waited to be instructed to stand. No instruction came, so he took his time burying his face into Arthur's thigh as he usually did and wailing out all the pain. Suppressed with guilt, Arthur bent down and rested his cheek against the serving-boy's back, gently shushing him whilst he cried. After he'd settled down a bit, the prince spoke.

"I won't let anyone else have you, Merlin."

Merlin's whole body went stiff and he ceased snivelling, slowly pulling himself off Arthur's lap to stare into his eyes, where Arthur began brushing the tears from his eyes. This was all to quick and inappropriate for Merlin's innocent state of mind. He got to his feet – then felt a wave of pain which almost sent him crouching down again – and started limping towards the door, whereupon he left without looking back.

Mordred was sitting on the stairs outside the room, crying into his own lap and upon seeing Merlin, immediately stopped and ran down to press his face into his neck.

_Forgive me Emrys. I got you flogged. I'm so sorry. _

Merlin had no words to reply with. He stood there, unsure of whether to wind his arms around the boy, or whether to push him onto the coldness of the floor. He chose the former and realised the embrace seemed to send a cooling remedy to his rear and lower back, which he was most grateful for.


	6. One time

Merlin and Arthur had been in separate worlds since the incident. The serving-boy no longer greeted his master in the morning with a smile or a daft song. He would keep his head down and refuse to look at his face and if Arthur ever raised his hand or made any movement that seemed like a threatening gesture, Merlin would flinch or cower away like a startled dog. The gap between them grew so big that Arthur began to realise his friend was slipping away from him. And losing Merlin was more than he could bear.

Merlin was having an off day, which was hardly surprising as _every_day seemed to be an off day now. He was washing the floorboards of Arthur's room but barely acknowledging his surroundings; something which Arthur noticed when the boy earned a splinter from the woods and didn't even wince. Realising the prince's eyes were on him, he began to feel sick and attempted to speed up his work, only to knock over the bucket full of water in his haste.

He tensed as his knees and hands suddenly turned wet and peered up to see the figure of the king was already standing over him, studying him with no emotion.

"Sire…" it'd been a while since he uttered that word, "…I-"

Without speaking, Arthur took his wrist and pulled him to his feet and Merlin could already see he was leading him to the bed.

"No sire, please! It-it was an accident, I'll clear it up!"

He knew he was clutching at straws. Accidents weren't an excuse anymore. He was going to be punished whether he liked it or not. He sobbed as Arthur sat down on the bed, and deciding to spare the prince of any trouble, began unbuckling his belt himself. The king reached out and stopped him, which had Merlin guessing that he was only going to get it on his trousers this time. Arthur looked up at him again and said quietly, "Come here Merlin."

The serving-boy was unsure of what he meant at first, then realised what Arthur was implying and flushed red.

"I can't-"

"That's an order."

Trying to picture the look on Uther's face had he still been alive, Merlin gently sat himself on Arthur's lap, leaning against the elder man's chest and pressing his face into his neck as he felt a hand reach up and start running through his hair.

"_Talk_ to me Merlin." Arthur muttered in a tone similar to begging.

Merlin felt a tear leak out, "What's there to talk about?"

"What I did to you-"

"Was fair."

"It was unjust." Arthur finished, "I let my anger overpower my judgement and let it out by inflicting pain on you."

"Sire-"

"It's _Arthur_ to you."

"-Arthur, I'm just a servant. It's a king's duty to discipline his servants."

"That wasn't discipline. That was abuse."

"Arthur, don't-"

"It _was _Merlin. And I'll never forgive myself for it."

After watching Arthur's face for a moment, Merlin sighed and pressed his face back into the king's neck, feeling as the arms around him wrapped tighter.

"Do you love him?"

"Who, my Lord?"

"Sir Mordred, are you in love with him?"

After a long pause, Merlin replied, "I don't know."

Accepting this answer, Arthur sighed, "I was wrong to flog him. He's only a child. How is he?"

"Pain does not seem to be one of his weaknesses. But I walked in on him examining his wounds and it seems you've left quite a few marks on him."

"It was wrong of me" and then Arthur said quietly, "An act of jealousy."

At this, Merlin frowned. For a moment there, he thought Arthur had said _jealousy_.

"What did you say?"

Arthur looked down at the raven-haired servant, who was looking at him questioningly with the same innocent blue eyes he'd had since the day he first arrived in Camelot. Arthur wondered if it'd be wise to speak his thoughts out loud, but after allowing his mouth to open and shut several times, he made up his mind and instead pulled Merlin back against him, resuming in stroking his hair.

"Nothing…"

They sat there in silence for a moment, gently absorbing each other's comfort before Arthur planted a small, chaste kiss on the serving boy's head and said with mock laughter, "Time to stop sitting around crying like girls. You have a floor to clean."

"Glad we're talking again, Arthur."


End file.
